You are on our 14 foot TRIO multi-purpose-boat page.
Carbon-fibre/Kevlar, foam-cored, lightweight version
now available as upgrade - total weight just 44kg.
now available as upgrade - total weight just 44kg.
"Her easily-driven hull hit 12 knots powered by a 3.5hp outboard, and she felt stable and safe under way... plenty of room for passengers and gear..." "A highly practical boat and an ingenious design"
PBO, August 2009 edition (click here for full article: Practical Boat Owner Reviews the Nestaway Trio)
WATERCRAFT MAGAZINE, Sept/Oct 2009
TRIO Price List - Cars the Trio fits inside - More Trio pictures - Electric Drive packages
The Nestaway Trio multi-purpose-boat is 14 foot long, can be paddled, rowed, motored or
sailed, and splits into three nesting sections that will fit in the back of an estate car or small
trailer for easy transport. Drawn to our unique specification and design, she will take three
adults (or two plus two children) for a nice day out on the river, or has plenty of space for
a couple of blokes and their gear on a fishing trip. She is primarily a "square stern canoe",
with a transom at the stern, and slightly flattened sections aft to enable her to plane and
improve stability. Her long, lean shape is very efficient and also makes a fine rowing boat
or candidate for electric drive (separate page here: Electric Drive for Trio).
In the photo above she is doing about 11knots (22km per hour) with just a 3.5hp petrol
outboard, and carrying a passenger she will still do 10knots (20km per hour). With a 2kW
Torqeedo electric outboard she will do about 9knots (18km per hour), in virtual silence
and with astonishing acceleration. As you might imagine, these speeds feel even faster
on the water...
outboard, and carrying a passenger she will still do 10knots (20km per hour). With a 2kW
Torqeedo electric outboard she will do about 9knots (18km per hour), in virtual silence
and with astonishing acceleration. As you might imagine, these speeds feel even faster
on the water...
Naturally, as she is a Nestaway, the hull splits into sections, in this case three, with the
bow and stern fitting inside the middle for easy storage and transport.
bow and stern fitting inside the middle for easy storage and transport.
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The bow section is 90cm wide, 125cm long, weight 14kg; the stern section 105x137cm, weight 21kg; and the middle 108x160cm, 30kg. The sections can be carried individually if any distance is involved and there is also a lighter weight hull upgrade that saves about 20kg overall. The nested package will fit in most "mid-size" estate cars (click here Cars the Trio fits in), or in a box trailer. The nested sections can be stood upright, so you can keep her in the corner of your shed, garage, beach hut, or even a large cupboard. The ability to keep her indoors means less maintenance/storage. |
Standard hulls are built in glassfibre with Iroko trim, but we also offer a lighter version
in carbon fibre, Kevlar, foam and epoxy - saving approx 20kg overall. The foam core of
this option also makes the hull itself slightly buoyant, irrespective of the buoyancy tanks.
in carbon fibre, Kevlar, foam and epoxy - saving approx 20kg overall. The foam core of
this option also makes the hull itself slightly buoyant, irrespective of the buoyancy tanks.
The high length to beam ratio (4:1) makes her a pleasure to row, and if you are keen to
maximise this potential we offer stainless steel outriggers (6" each side) to improve the
"gearing" and allow the use of longer oars (7ft 6" instead of 6ft). If you are going out
rowing alone, and want to make her quicker/easier to launch singlehanded, the front
two sections can be used witout the stern (you obviously need to bung up the bottom
bolt holes!), and we can build a false transom for the back of the middle section if you
wish to increase the freeboard there.
maximise this potential we offer stainless steel outriggers (6" each side) to improve the
"gearing" and allow the use of longer oars (7ft 6" instead of 6ft). If you are going out
rowing alone, and want to make her quicker/easier to launch singlehanded, the front
two sections can be used witout the stern (you obviously need to bung up the bottom
bolt holes!), and we can build a false transom for the back of the middle section if you
wish to increase the freeboard there.
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We have also developed a sailing rig for the Trio, with a high-peaked spritsail (and no boom to bash your head on). The unstayed mast attaches to the forward section bulkhead and seat, and the leeboards fit over the gunwhales, so it is possible to "retrofit" if you have purchased a Trio hull without the rig. She's obviously not a racing machine, but her easily-driven hull is very quick to pick up speed off the wind, and she will make progress to windward. Great for exploring: "Swallows and Amazons Forever!" |
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With no standing rigging to attach, the rig is very quick to assemble. This also allows the mast to rotate freely, so that the tension of the sprit is not changed when you tack. If the wind drops - or increases above what you are comfortable with - a brailing eye in the leech (aft edge) of the sail is provided so that you can de-power the whole rig, collapsing the sail into the mast without having to lower it. This leaves the interior of the boat clear of the sail etc, so that you can row or motor on to your destination. The cream or tan sail and varnished pine spars look great too! |
Click here for: Trio Prices
Trio Engine Capacity
We are often asked if the Trio can take a bigger engine than 3.5hp (our maximum recommended size), and the short answer is no. Although the
hull shape has the potential to be faster with more power, the extra speed
would incur stresses that she is not designed for. Hitting even a small wave
at, say, 20 knots has a lot more than double the effect that the same
impact at 10 knots would. To withstand such forces she would need to be
more heavily built, making transport and assembly of the sections more
difficult. And, in most places that she is intended to be used, the speed
limit is much lower than she can achieve with 3.5hp.
11 knots is plenty!
Trio Capabilities
The Trio is much more stable than you might think, as she is relatively
flat-bottomed (in the middle and aft), carrying her beam right out to the
sides (she has quite a "hard turn of the bilge") over much of her length.
A 90kg person can stand at the side of the middle section without dipping
the gunwhales under, and an outboard can be installed by one person at
the stern (ie nobody counterbalancing forward) without tipping her up.
However we must point out that, like all small, open boats, her capabilities
are limited. Anybody who says otherwise is mad! She is 14ft long yes, but
developed from a canoe hull form - many "boats" of the same length will
have two or even three times her volume. She is primarily designed for use
on sheltered inland waterways - lakes, rivers, canals, estuaries, harbours
etc - where she will provide much fun. She is not intended for use in large
waves at sea.
As a canoe she is exempt from the Recreational Craft Directive, and in any
case her beam would exempt her from the stability/buoyancy requirements.
That is a coincidence of what fits in most estate cars, not a rating dodge!
The built-in buoyancy in all three sections will keep the Trio and one adult
(weighing up to 100kg) afloat, even fully swamped. That one person can
bail her out to enable any other crew to board her (usually from the stern).
If you specify hatches in the buoyancy tanks, please ensure they are
always done up tightly. At extra cost we can foam fill the tanks and/or fit
extra buoyancy under the thwarts if you are particularly concerned about
this issue, perhaps if you have young children. Most open canoes, including
those with transoms, do not have any built-in buoyancy, so the Trio is
significantly ahead in this respect.
If you go for the lightweight hull the foam core between the carbon/kevlar skins makes it inherently buoyant, before taking the buoyancy tanks into
account, meaning that she is effectively unsinkable.
Trio as a Yacht Tender
We have had a number of enquiries about using the Trio as a yacht tender,
and can certainly see her appeal in this role. In many of the Caribbean
islands for example, if you anchor in a nice bay there is usually a river in
the corner that begs exploration.
Her easily-driven hull means you'd only need a small, light outboard that
can be handed on/off the mother ship - much easier than the 8-15hp
lumps that most cruisers seem to use on their inflatables. And her elegant
shape will draw conversation, especially if you dispense with the outboard
and row (or sail) round the anchorage...
In practical terms the sheer (upward curve) of the Trio's bow section means
she does not store easily upside down like our Pram Dinghy, but suitable
chocks could be built to do this. We think the better alternative would be a
cradle to store her right way up, with a cover incorporating webbing straps
as a tie-down mechanism. That would make assembly of the sections easier
too. Launching her would require a four-point sling and halyard, but the
attachment points are already there (the joining bolts), and she is about
the same weight or lighter than many RIBs.
She might also fit in the "stern garage" commonly found on many larger
motor and sailing yachts. Indeed you could get two or even three Trios in
the space of one RIB...
Build Your Own Trio
If you like the idea of building a Trio yourself, there is also the option to
buy the plans for construction in cedar strip - plans are £57 plus postage.
To make the joints between the sections look "fair", the boat is built in one,
with the double bulkheads (spaced apart by a few mm) forming part of the
jig. In what will probably be one of your scariest boatbuilding moments,
when the work is complete you put a saw between the bulkheads and split
her in three... (we do know it works, as this is how we built the original
"plug" to make the moulds for production in glassfibre).
We can supply any/all of the components you might find difficult to source
yourself, from the connecting hooks and bolts to larger items such as the
rudder or mast. Please contact us for further information.